PWR Final: Player Ratings as Gloucester-Hartpury defeat Saracens for third title in a row

03/17/2025 06:32 AM

A six try performance from Gloucester-Hartpury sees the back to back champions dismantle Saracens 34-19, to win the title for the third year in a row.

Scroll down for Gloucester-Hartpury and Saracens player ratings from the PWR Final

The game started off strongly with both teams scoring within the first eight minutes, Gloucester-Hartpury scored first after a tantalising break by Mia Venner provided Kate Williams with an easy put down over the line. Emma Sing missed her first kick of the day.

Sarries bounced back quickly however when Jess Breach produced a stunning line to create an overlap which allowed for the England international to score under the posts. Fly half Zoe Harrison converted with her first kick of the afternoon putting Sarries up 7-5.

Saracens only needed eight minutes to extend their lead after referee Joe James awarded them a penalty try as Gloucester-Hartpury collapsed a driving maul on the line. Mo Hunt was sent to the sin bin for the offence.

The player advantage was quickly capitalised on when Lotte Sharp touched down in the corner, 18 minutes in, extending Saracens lead. Harrison missed the extras, extending Sarries lead to 19-5.

Gloucester-Hartpury got back into the game towards the end of the first half with a pair of tries from Sing and Venner. Both conversions were missed by Sing which meant The Circus trailed by four points going into the half.

HALF TIME: GLOUCESTER-HARTPURY 15- 19 SARACENS

It was the champions who came out of the break stronger with a pair of tries within ten minutes of returning to the field. A beautiful offload by England captain Zoe Aldcroft set up Maud Muir for the first and a driving maul saw Neve Jones extend Gloucester-Hartpury's lead. Sing converted the first of her two attempts of the second half putting the reigning champs up by eight points with half an hour left on the clock.

Gloucester-Hartpury were once again reduced to 14 players when Alex Matthews was sent to the bin 52 minutes in for a high tackle.

The Circus seemed to take control of the game in the second half, when some well worked pressure in the Saracens half ended with Hunt scoring with just over ten minutes remaining. Sing converted increasing the lead to 15 points for the reigning champions

Attendance 7,438

POTM: Maud Muir

Gloucester-Hartpury

Tries: 6 ( Williams 4', Sing 23', Venner 34', Muir 45', Jones 49', Hunt 69')

Conversions: 2 ( Sing 45' 70')

Penalties: 0

Yellow cards: 2 (Hunt 15', Matthews 52')

Red cards: 0

15. Emma Sing 14. Mia Venner (70') 13. Hannah Jones 12. Tatyana Heard (79')  11. Pip Hendy 10. Lleucu George 9. Natasha "Mo" Hunt (co-captain) (79') 1. El Perry (47') 2. Neve Jones (76') 3. Maud Muir (73') 4. Sarah Beckett (76') 5. Zoe Aldcroft (co-captain) 6. Kate Williams 7. Bethan Lewis (63') 8. Alex Matthews

Replacements

16. Gillian Boag (76') 17. Mackenzie Carson (47') 18. Kathryn Buggy (73') 19. Steph Else ( 76') 20. Georgia Brock (63') 21. Meg Davies (79')22. Ellie Green (79') 23. Rachel Lund (70')

Saracens

Tries: 3 (Breach 7', penalty try 15', Sharp 18')

Conversions: 1 (Harrison 7')

Penalties: 0

Yellow cards: 0

Red cards: 0

15. Jess Breach 14. Alysha Corrigan 13. Emma Hardy (52') 12. Sophie Bridger 11. Lotte Sharp (co-captain) 10. Zoe Harrison (72') 9. Ella Wyrwas 1. Akina Gondwe (52') 2. May Campbell (72') 3. Kelsey Clifford 4. Rosie Galligan (72') 5. Georgia Evans (76') 6. Gabrielle Senft 7. Marlie Packer (co-captain) 8. Poppy Cleall

Replacements

16. Bryony Field (72') 17. Mckinley Hunt ( 52') 18. Carmen Tremelling 19. Bryony Cleall (72') 20. Louise McMillan (76') 21. Tori Sellors 22. Sarah McKenna (72') 23. Sydney Gregson (52')

Gloucester-Hartpury player ratings

1. El Perry – 5/10 – The loosehead had a quiet game but she was strong in the scrum and tackled hard throughout.

2. Neve Jones – 6/10 – The hooker took care of business this afternoon, she was 100% from the lineout and got herself on the score sheet after a driving maul.

3. Maud Muir – 9/10 – The tighthead was extremely powerful in all aspects of her game, she carried well and tackled hard throughout. She is a stalwart of a player and stepped up massively today.

 4. Sarah Beckett – 6/10 – Beckett's performance may have gone under the radar this afternoon but she defended well throughout and was solid around the breakdown.

 5. Zoe Aldcroft (co-captain) – 8/10 – Aldcroft is England captain for a reason, she was superb, helped set up a couple of the tries, commanded the lineout well and was a seemingly an unmoveable force in defence.

 6. Kate Williams – 7/10 – Williams carried well this afternoon and ran some great support lines for her teammates.

7. Bethan Lewis – 6/10 – The Welsh international will be happy with her performance today, she disrupted the breakdown throughout and seemed to come out of every contact stronger.

 8. Alex Matthews – 4/10 – Matthews was sent to the bin for a high tackle which could've cost her team drastically, she carried well but the lack of discipline in defence lowers her rating for the afternoon.

9. Natasha "Mo" Hunt (co-captain) – 5/10 – The Circus's scrum half didn't have her best game and her trip to the Sin bin allowed for Saracens to score 12 points whilst she was off. She did get on the scoresheet though with a lovely dummy pass.

10. Lleucu George – 7/10 – George controlled the tempo well today, she kicked well throughout and seemed to always make the right decision to put her team on the front foot.

11. Pip Hendy – 5/10 – Hendy was kept quiet today; she didn't get into the game as much as she would've liked too.

12. Tatyana Heard – 6/10 – Heard distributed the ball well all game and helped set up some of the big breaks by Venner.

13. Hannah Jones – 5/10 – Jones wasn't as productive as her centre partner but she ran some good lines and offered a lot in attack.

14. Mia Venner – 8/10 – The Gloucester-Hartpury winger was electric from the get-go today; she made multiple line breaks set her team up into many attacking positions and got herself on the score sheet to top off her afternoon.

15. Emma Sing – 6/10 – It certainly wasn't Sing's best performance today; she wasn't as effective as she usually is off of the tee but she got herself on the scoresheet and was unlucky not to get a second. It's been a superb season for the young fullback as she finishes the season as the PWR top points scorer.

Replacements – 6/10 – The replacements for Gloucester-Hartpury didn't let the standards slip and brought on some intense play with them.

Saracens player ratings

1. Akina Gondwe – 5/10 – Gondwe had a quiet afternoon, she was bettered by her opposite number in the scrum but had a few dominant carries which put her team in strong positions.

2. May Campbell – 5/10 – Campbell was outshone by her opposite number but a few decent carries meant she had a solid afternoon overall.

 3. Kelsey Clifford – 5/10 – Clifford carried well but was bettered in the scrum a couple of times.

 4. Rosie Galligan – 5/10 – The second row defended well throughout but was quiet in attack.

 5. Georgia Evans – 5/10 – Evans's game was exactly the same as her second row partners, she defended well but didn't offer much going forward.

 6. Gabrielle Senft  – 6/10 – The Canadian was strong around the breakdown and forced a couple of turnovers.

7. Marlie Packer (co-captain) – 7/10 – The former England captain lead strongly from the front for her team today, was a menace in the breakdown and carried well throughout.

8. Poppy Cleall – 5/10 – Cleall had a solid shift this afternoon with some dominant tackles.

9. Ella Wyrwas – 7/10- The scrum half dictated the Saracens tempo throughout the match and had a positive performance.

10. Zoe Harrison – 6/10 – Harrison had some real flair on her passes today but it wasn't quite enough to push her team over the line.

11. Lotte Sharp (co-captain) – 6/10 – Sharp scored an outstanding try but was bettered on her wing by Mia Venner.

12. Sophie Bridger – 6/10 – The former Circus player stepped up well against her previous club was solid in defence and offered some great lines in attack.

13. Emma Hardy – 5/10 – The outside centre didn't seem to get as much of the ball as she would've liked today and was kept quiet during her 50 minute cameo.

14. Alysha Corrigan – 5/10 – Corrigan was quiet throughout the game only getting on the ball a handful of times.

15. Jess Breach – 7/10 -The Red Roses star was electric today, carried well in attack and got herself onto the scoresheet.

Replacements – 5/10 – The Saracens bench just couldn't quite keep up with the tempo of the opposing side.

Post Match Talking Points: Gloucester-Hartpury 34 – 19 Saracens

History makers- After an outstanding win against Saracens today, Gloucester-Hartpury become the first team to win back to back to back PWR titles, an amazing achievement for all involved. The Circus has become seemingly an unstoppable force in the PWR and the players and coaches have cemented their place in the history books.

Sean Lynn departs for Wales- It's a fairytale ending for Sean Lynn as the Gloucester-Hartpury head coach leaves his role to join Wales. He's taken this side to extreme heights and is adored by players and fans alike. What a success story he has created, a truly magnificent coach and person.

Maud Muir's outstanding afternoon- What a performance! The tighthead prop was excellent all afternoon, she got herself on the scoresheet, was dominant in attack and was an unstoppable force in defence. One of the best performances I have ever seen from a prop, the Red Roses international has surely secured her starting spot for the six nations starting next week.

Gloucester-Hartpury's recruitment key to their success-  The Circus have one of the best youth systems in the country and Saracens head coach Alex Austerberry sees the link the club has with Hartpury College as key to the clubs success. "they've got an under 18 programme that is the longest established college programme, which feeds into a university programme it provides them with incredible talent to bolster an already incredible squad".

The link between Gloucester-Hartpury and Hartpury university is a crucial part of the teams foundations not only does it provide them with a superb crop of young players but it also provides them with a crop of players who have played with each other for years already before they make their debuts for the first team.

"We're in this together"- Gloucester-Hartpury and England captain, Zoe Aldcroft, was full of praise for the culture built by Sean Lynn after the match. She stated "when we step on that pitch we fight for each other, we don't let anyone go alone, he's made us create those bonds off pitch as well and he's been fantastic and we have good people in good places". It's clear that the culture at Gloucester-Hartpury is not just a winning one but one built on camaraderie and that bond has been instrumental in giving them the base they need to be as successful as they are.

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